Multimodal Alternative Evaluation US 60 (Versailles Road) Lexington, KY: Final Report

Transcription

1 Transportation Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report University of Kentucky Year Multimodal Alternative Evaluation US 6 (Versailles Road) Lexington, KY: Final Report Adam J. Kirk University of Kentucky, adam.kirk@uky.edu This paper is posted at UKnowledge. researchreports/

2 Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report Multimodal Alternative Evaluation US 6 (Versailles Road) Lexington, KY Final Report

3 Our Mission We provide services to the transportation community through research, technology transfer and education. We create and participate in partnerships to promote safe and effective transportation systems. University of Kentucky, Kentucky Transportation Center Information may not be used, reproduced, or republished without our written consent. Kentucky Transportation Center 76 Oliver H. Raymond Building Lexington, KY 6-8 (89) 7- fax (89) 7-8

4 MULTIMODAL ALTERNATIVE EVALUATION US 6 (VERSAILLES ROAD) LEXINGTON, KY FINAL REPORT Prepared by Kentucky Transportation Center Prepared for: Lexington Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Date: May

5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction... Existing Conditions... Capacity Analysis... Crash Analysis... Travel Survey... 8 Alternative Analysis... Spot Improvements... Corridor-wide improvements... Improvements by Section... Alexandria to Mason Headley Road.... Mason Headley to Oxford Circle... Oxford Circle to Red Mile Road/Forbes.... Forbes/Red Mile to Angliana Avenue... Conclusions/Recommendations... 6 Versailles Road Multimodal Evaluation US 6, Lexington, KY i

6 LIST OF FIGURES Figure : Study Area... Figure : Cross Section Alexandria Drive to Mason Headley Road... Figure : Cross Section Red Mile Road to Angliana Avenue... Figure : Historical Traffic Volumes (ADT) on Versailles Road... Figure : Crash Distribution... Figure 6: Angle Crashes Locations... Figure 7: Pedestrian Crash Locations... 6 Figure 8: Bicycle Crash Locations... 6 Figure 9: Versailles Road Corridor Transit Routes... 7 Figure : Question Survey Response... 9 Figure : Question Survey Response... 9 Figure : Question Survey Response... Figure : Question Survey Response... Figure : Road Diet Cross Section Alternative... Figure. Proposed Refuge Island Ball-Quantrell Jones Recovery Center for Women... 7 Figure 6. Proposed Refuge Island Delmont Drive to Halls Lane... 7 Figure 7: Potential Alternate Bike Route... 9 Figure 8: Existing/Proposed Cross Section (Alexandria Drive to Mason Headley Road)... Figure 9: Existing Cross Section Versailles Road (Mason Headley to Oxford Circle)... Figure : Proposed Cross Section Versailles Road (Mason Headley to Oxford Circle)... Figure : Existing Cross Section Versailles Road (Oxford Circle to Red Mile Road)... Figure : Proposed Cross Section Versailles Road (Oxford Circle to Red Mile Road)... Figure : Existing Cross Section Versailles Road (Red Mile Road to Angliana Avenue)... Figure: Evaluated Cross Section Versailles Road (Red Mile Road to Angliana Avenue)... LIST OF TABLES Table : Existing Conditions Level of Service (LOS) (PM Peak)... Table : Versailles Road at Mason Headley Road; Road Diet Alternative... Table : Versailles Road at Red Mile Road; Road Diet Alternative... Versailles Road Multimodal Evaluation US 6, Lexington, KY ii

7 LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix A. Turn movement Counts Appendix B. Survey and Responses. Versailles Road Multimodal Evaluation US 6, Lexington, KY iii

8 INTRODUCTION The Versailles Road corridor is a major arterial into the heart of Lexington, KY, connecting the Bluegrass Airport, Keeneland, and the Bluegrass Parkway with downtown. In addition, the corridor serves as the most heavily used transit route within the city. Heavy pedestrian and bicycle usage also exist on the corridor making it one of the most vibrant and diverse multimodal corridors in the city if not the state. However, few improvements have been made for either automobile or other modes of transportation in recent years leading to a poor condition of some facilities and the need for improved and expanded modal facilities on the corridor. A recent report by the Kentucky Transportation Center titled Evaluation of Road Diets identified some alternatives to balance auto and other mode uses on corridors such as Versailles Road, and this study was initiated in order to test the feasibility of road diet options. However, the traffic volumes on the roadway exceed the recommended range for those alternatives. Therefore, there is a distinct need to develop alternatives that can improve multimodal uses on high volume roadways, and the Versailles Road corridor is a prime candidate for the development and evaluation of such measures. The objective of this study is to identify alternative roadway configurations that are capable of balancing multimodal uses including vehicular, pedestrian, bicycle and transit modes. The limits of the study area are from Alexandria Drive to Oliver Lewis Way (Figure ). Figure : Study Area Versailles Road Multimodal Evaluation US 6, Lexington, KY

9 EXISTING CONDITIONS Versailles Road through the study area is varied in terms of land use as well as transportation infrastructure. The western end of the project near Alexandria Drive is a commercial activity center with several highway related businesses such as fast food, other restaurants and gas stations. The middle of the corridor is a residential area with a mix of single family homes and townhomes/apartments. Closer to downtown, the land use is once again commercial but varying in type with more retail and service oriented businesses. Likewise cross section on the corridor varies widely as well. The western end of the corridor provides a wide 7 foot cross section complete with bike lanes and a center two-way left turn lane (TWLTL) and wide sidewalks (See Figure ). This section is juxtaposed with the narrow foot cross section on the eastern terminus which has narrow lanes, no TWLTL and narrow foot sidewalks (Figure ). Figure : Cross Section Alexandria Drive to Mason Headley Road Sidewalk Bike Bike Sidewalk Figure : Cross Section Red Mile Road to Angliana Avenue ' Sidewalk Treelawn Treelawn ' Sidewalk There are signalized intersections within the study area (listed below). As many of these are minor intersections with low volumes, capacity analysis was only conducted on major intersections that had the potential to affect the operations of the corridor.. Alexandria Drive. Village Drive. Mason Headley Road. Oxford Circle. Hamilton Park 6. Terrace View Park 7. Delmont Drive 8. Red Mile Road/Forbes Road 9. Bennet Avenue. Angliana Avenue. Robertson Street. Oliver Lewis Way Analysis of traffic volumes on the corridor indicates that volumes have been relatively stable over the past years, having an Average Daily Traffic (ADT) volume between, and, vehicles per day. Figure below shows the year historical traffic counts for three sections between ) Alexandria Drive and Mason Headley Road, ) Mason Headley Road and Red Mile Road/Forbes Road and ) Red Mile Road to Oliver Lewis Way. As can be seen, traffic volumes are steady, but they are also shown to Versailles Road Multimodal Evaluation US 6, Lexington, KY

10 decrease as you proceed closer to downtown Lexington, with the section east of Red Mile Road having the lowest volumes on the corridor. Figure : Historical Traffic Volumes (ADT) on Versailles Road While volumes have been historically steady, it should be noted that several major projects are currently underway or planned for the west side of Lexington. These include reconstruction of US (Georgetown Road), Reconstruction of US (Leestown Road) as well as major improvements on New Circle Road. All projects are set to begin in the next few years and construction schedules may overlap in some instances. During this time Versailles may serve as a primary alternate route into downtown Lexington and as such see a potential increase in volumes for the short term. In addition to historical traffic data, turn movement counts were collected by the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government (LFUCG) at all signalized intersections on the corridor. Appendix A contains the turn movement count data for these intersections. Capacity Analysis Capacity analysis was conducted for the existing conditions using Highway Capacity Manual algorithms as applied by Synchro version 8. Analysis was conducted for the major intersections at Alexandria Drive, Mason Headley Road, Red Mile Road and Oliver Lewis Way. For the existing conditions, only PM peak analysis was conducted as this represents the worst case scenario due to the heavier volume of traffic. Table below summarizes the intersection level of service and delay for each intersection. Versailles Road Multimodal Evaluation US 6, Lexington, KY

11 Table : Existing Conditions Level of Service (LOS) (PM Peak) Mason Red Alexandria Headley Mile/Forbes Drive Road Road Measure of effectiveness Oliver Lewis Way Delay (s/veh) LOS C C D C As shown in Table all intersections on the corridor operate at acceptable levels of service with all at LOS C except Red Mile Road which operates at LOS D with only 9 seconds of delay on average per vehicle. No individual movements or intersection approaches were observed to operate with a LOS below a D. This analysis shows that while some limited congestion may exist during peak hours, adequate capacity exists on the corridor to efficiently move traffic into and out of Lexington as a major arterial into Lexington. Crash Analysis A year crash analysis was completed for the Versailles Road corridor to assess safety issues on the corridor. Within the year period (January, 8 - December, ), 77 crashes were recorded in the Kentucky State Police Crash Database within the study area resulting in a crash rate of 7 crashes per million vehicles miles. The average crash rate for urban -lane undivided highways, such as Versailles Road, is 7 crashes per million vehicle miles, with a critical crash rate of. Therefore, it can be seen that the crash rate on the corridor exceeds the average crash rate and is effectively equal to the critical crash rate, indicating a statistically higher than average crash occurrence on the corridor. Figure shows the distribution of crash types. Versailles Road Multimodal Evaluation US 6, Lexington, KY

12 Figure : Crash Distribution As can be seen from the figure, rear end and angle crashes are the two most significant crash patterns on the corridor, accounting for over 7 percent of the total crashes. These crash patterns are typical of several conditions, such as ) High levels of congestion with start and stop traffic which contributes to rear ends. As Versailles Road is a major commuter corridor with over, vehicles per day, the high number of rear end crashes is not out of the ordinary. ) Poor access control, as is present on the eastern commercial portion of the corridor also lends itself to increased rear end and angle crashes as vehicles enter and exit the traffic stream to access adjacent drives. Examining Figure 6 below, a concentration of angle crashes is evident in the commercial areas to the west and east. Figure 6: Angle Crashes Locations Versailles Road Multimodal Evaluation US 6, Lexington, KY

13 In addition to the high prevalence of rear end and angle crashes on the corridor, a high number of pedestrian and bicyclist crashes were also noted. Of the crashes identified as single vehicle crashes, involve either collisions with pedestrians or bicyclists ( pedestrians, bicyclists). Figures 7 and 8 show the location of the pedestrian and bicyclist crashes, respectively. Figure 7: Pedestrian Crash Locations As can be seen form the figures, only pedestrian crashes occurred at intersections, while 9 are identified as at midblock locations. Moreover, the majority of pedestrian crashes are located within the narrower -lane section of the roadway between Oxford Circle and Red Mile Road. Figure 8: Bicycle Crash Locations Similar to pedestrian crashes, only bicycle crashes are reported at intersections with 7 identified as midblock. The majority of bicycle crashes also occur east of Mason Headley Road, i.e., areas where bike lanes are not present. Versailles Road Multimodal Evaluation US 6, Lexington, KY 6

14 Transit Conditions As noted above, the Versailles Road corridor has the highest transit ridership on the LexTran System. The corridor is served by three routes, 8, and, as shown in Figure 9, below. These Routes connect Fayette Mall, Beaumont Center, Bluegrass airport and Keeneland with the downtown transit center, as well as provide east-west connectivity between Nicholasville Road/University of Kentucky Campus and Harrodsburg Road with Oxford Circle. Route 8 is the most frequent running on minute headways the majority of the time with approximately hour to. hour headways on Sunday. Routes and are less frequent running only 8 and 9 times per day respectively, Monday through Friday. Figure 9: Versailles Road Corridor Transit Routes Over 8 stops are located within the. mile long study area on Versailles Road, with additional stops on adjacent streets, such as Alexandria Drive, Oxford Circle, and Red Mile Road. A review of the on-time schedule for Route 8 indicates that it operated over a 9 percent on-time during the three month period from January, to March,. Versailles Road Multimodal Evaluation US 6, Lexington, KY 7

15 TRAVEL SURVEY In order to better understand the travel patterns of people using the Versailles Road Corridor and to assist with identifying specific problem areas, a travel survey was conducted of residents and through traffic on the Versailles Road Corridor. The purpose of the survey was to ) identify the range of modes and combined modes used on the corridor, ) identify potential problem areas and concerns associated with each mode of travel and ) identify potential solutions to address the problem areas identified in No. above. The results of this analysis were used to drive the development of alternatives and serve as a validation of the existing conditions traffic analysis. Surveys were distributed in electronic and hardcopy format. A link to the online survey was distributed among the Friends of Versailles Road list as well as posted on the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government Website, Facebook page and announced on Twitter. Hardcopies of the survey were also distributed to area businesses, churches and residents through the efforts of Friends of Versailles road. In all 6 surveys were completed, with completed online and hardcopies submitted. Both English and Spanish language surveys were distributed with 7 Spanish language surveys completed. The survey consisted of questions, which included both multiple choice and open response type questions. Questions from the survey are listed below. A full example of the survey and a listing of all multiple choice and open responses are provided in Appendix B.. Please select the answer below that best describes your relationship with the Versailles Road Corridor.. What is your most common mode of travel through the Versailles Road Corridor?. Do you often combine travel modes through Versailles Road, such as bike to bus?. If you ever WALK on the corridor, on what part of Versailles Road do you typically WALK. In your opinion, what are the major barriers to WALKING on the Versailles Road Corridor? 6. If you ever BIKE on the corridor, on what part of Versailles Road do you typically BIKE (check all that apply)? 7. If you ever BIKE on Versailles Road corridor, where do you typically ride? 8. In your opinion, what are the major barriers to BIKING on the Versailles Road Corridor? (Open Response) 9. If you ever ride the BUS on the Versailles Road Corridor, where do you catch the bus?. In your opinion, what are the major barriers to BUS usage on the Versailles Road Corridor? (Please be as specific as possible.) (Open Response). What are your top three recommendations for improving WALKING and BIKING and TRANSIT on the Versailles Road Corridor? (Open Response). Please provide any additional comments (Open Response) Versailles Road Multimodal Evaluation US 6, Lexington, KY 8

16 Figure : Question Survey Response As can be seen from the responses summarized on Figure, the majority of respondents live, work, or live and work on the corridor, indicating that the respondents are those most affected by the multimodal improvements being investigated by the study. The survey did not however identify a significant number of respondents who travel through the corridor on the way to other places within the city. While the majority of respondents did travel by car (Figure ) a relatively large percentage of respondents did indicate that they walk and/or travel by transit within the corridor as well. These respondents assist in determining ways to improve multi-modal connections in the area. Figure : Question Survey Response Versailles Road Multimodal Evaluation US 6, Lexington, KY 9

17 As indicated by Figure below, pedestrian activity is relatively consistent throughout the entire corridor without one area being a major center of activity over the others. The first and last sections, from Alexandria Drive to Mason Headley and Red Mile Road to Oliver Lewis Way have a slight increased response over others, but it is also noted that these are the more concentrated commercial activity centers on the corridor. Figure : Question Survey Response In contrast to walking distribution, those who cycle can clearly be seen to prefer the wider cross sections near Alexandria Drive and Mason Headley over the narrow sections surrounding Red Mile/Forbes Road. See Figure. Figure : Question Survey Response Versailles Road Multimodal Evaluation US 6, Lexington, KY

18 Open response questions received varied responses, but trends and common themes were identified. Major problem areas identified through the survey are listed below. Impediments to Walking Sidewalks too narrow Sidewalks in disrepair Pedestrians are too close to traffic Traffic is too fast Poor drainage causes pedestrians to get splashed There is a lack of or inadequate crossing facilities Crossing times at signalized intersections are too short Personal safety concerns due to other pedestrians were noted Trash containers on street block and force pedestrians to walk in the street Pavement Markings in poor condition, especially at crosswalks Impediments to Biking The road surface, especially at the road edge is poor and dangerous for bicyclists. Traffic travels at too fast / high speed There is an absence of bike lanes Cars don't drive properly Bikers don't ride properly Drains are not mountable and have significant depressions that are dangerous to bicyclists. Impediments to Transit Bus stops are crowded / standing room only Inadequate frequency exists on the corridor There is inadequate stop spacing on the corridor Buses run late and are unreliable There is a lack of shelters/benches There are not enough direct routes (e.g. to UK etc.) Sunday schedules are poor Versailles Road Multimodal Evaluation US 6, Lexington, KY

19 ALTERNATIVE ANALYSIS As stated above the primary objective of this study was to identify short term improvements that could assist in improving pedestrian, bicycle and transit usage on the corridor. In order to deliver a short term solution, any alternative would have to be low cost and be implementable within the existing roadway cross section. After evaluation, the only potential alternative to address these needs would be the inclusion of a road diet on the corridor. The road diet alternative would reduce the number of lanes from four to three within the narrower section of US 6 east of Mason Headley Road. The new crosssection would consist of a single travel lane in each direction and a center two-way left-turn lane (TWLTL) with bike lanes adjacent to the curb. A sample cross section is shown in Figure. At major intersections, the two-way left-turn lane would be operated as a dedicated left-turn lane. Figure : Road Diet Cross Section Alternative Sidewalk Bike Bike Sidewalk.. There are two primary concerns with the introduction of a road diet, these being ) roadway capacity and ) operational safety. While the goal of this study is not to identify measures to increase vehicular speeds or capacity, significantly diminishing existing capacity can have negative consequences for motorists, transit and pedestrians. Additionally, it is imperative to not offset pedestrian safety improvements with increased crashes from motorists. The impact of this alternative on the roadway capacity was evaluated through Highway Capacity Manual/Software algorithms as applied by Synchro 8. Analysis was completed for the intersections of Versailles Road at Mason Headley and Versailles Road at Red Mile Roads/Forbes Road as these represent the major intersections that would be affected by the proposed configuration. Table and Table below summarize the results of this analysis for the AM and PM peak periods. Versailles Road Multimodal Evaluation US 6, Lexington, KY

20 Table : Versailles Road at Mason Headley Road; Road Diet Alternative Measure of effectiveness Versailles Road Mason Headley Eastbound Westbound Northbound Southbound AM Peak Hour Approach Delay (s/veh) Approach LOS B F D C HCM Average Control Delay.9 HCM Intersection LOS D PM Peak Hour Approach Delay (s/veh) Approach LOS E F F D HCM Average Control Delay 6. HCM Intersection LOS F Table : Versailles Road at Red Mile Road; Road Diet Alternative Measure of effectiveness Versailles Road Red Mile Road Eastbound Westbound Northbound Southbound AM Peak Hour Approach Delay (s/veh) Approach LOS D C F E HCM Average Control Delay 9. HCM Intersection LOS D PM Peak Hour Approach Delay (s/veh) Approach LOS D F F E HCM Average Control Delay 8.9 HCM Intersection LOS F As can be seen from the tables, several movements would operate at LOS E and F during the AM peak periods, but would then severely degrade during the PM period with both intersections operating under Versailles Road Multimodal Evaluation US 6, Lexington, KY

21 failing conditions. In addition to the high delays shown in the tables above, all of the major movements at the intersection would operate with a volume to capacity ratio over, indicating unstable conditions. Additionally, significant queues would be created (traffic would have an average queue over ½ mile long in the PM rush at both intersections) which would impact upstream intersections and potentially further degrade operations at the major intersection. As noted above, this analysis only examines existing traffic demands as growth has remained relatively flat over the last years. However, even under these conditions, the proposed road diet does not appear to be a viable option. In addition to increased congestion evident from the analysis presented above, it would be expected that poor traffic flow would also manifest itself in terms of increased rear end crashes. Versailles Road Multimodal Evaluation US 6, Lexington, KY

22 SPOT IMPROVEMENTS In addition to the road diet concept, other miscellaneous minor improvements were explored that maintained the existing cross-section and layout of the corridor, but could address identified issues on the corridor. These improvements are corridor wide improvements as well as spot improvements that deal with very specific areas on the corridor. Corridor-wide improvements The following are the corridor wide improvements identified for the study area. Sidewalk repair and maintenance. Sidewalks throughout the corridor are in disrepair with cracks, missing sections, and displaced joints which cause hazardous walking and wheelchair accessibility issues. In addition, the majority of sidewalks are narrow ( feet) and do not permit easy passing when pedestrians meet. In addition, vegetation and grass adjacent to many sidewalks have encroached upon the sidewalks to further reduce the available width. It is recommended that a corridor wide effort be undertaken to repair/maintain sidewalks to their foot minimum width. This would include replacement of missing sections and displaced joints as well as clearing vegetation, with possible minor grading to reduce the chance of future encroachment. It is noted that sidewalk maintenance is the responsibility of the adjacent property owner. Therefore, targeted code enforcement activities may be used to achieve these improvements, or they may also be undertaken through joint city/neighborhood partnerships. It is also recommended that, where feasible, sidewalks be widened to a minimum width of -6 feet. Due to sporadic retaining walls, short yard grades, or the placement of utility poles, this width is not available continuously; however, providing the widening with some intermittent narrow section would still significantly improve walkability on the corridor. Inlet Repair. The majority of drainage inlets on the corridor are in disrepair with sunken inlets and damaged grates. This creates a hazard to pedestrians as it creates holes in sidewalks and further narrows the sidewalks. These conditions also create a significant hazard to cyclists riding in the street as the sunken grates create an non-passable surface forcing cyclists to merge in with high speed traffic. It is recommended that all inlets on the corridor be reviewed and repaired/replaced where necessary to provide a smooth surface for pedestrians, bicycles and vehicles. (This issue has already been Versailles Road Multimodal Evaluation US 6, Lexington, KY

23 submitted and discussed with KYTC for the upcoming resurfacing project). Pavement Milling /Curb Reconstruction. Over the previous cycles of pavement resurfacing the curb line has diminished in height as the pavement surface has been raised with overlays. Furthermore, curbs have deteriorated throughout the corridor and are crumbling in many areas. This creates a safety hazard for pedestrians as it diminishes the separation between vehicles and traffic and creates areas of ponding within the curb line that can cause splashing for the adjacent sidewalks. It is recommended that any future resurfacing include adequate milling to reduce pavement height and restore proper curb height and drainage. In addition, corridor-wide repair/replacement of curbs is recommended to restore the sidewalk edge and improve safety for pedestrians. (This issue has already been submitted and discussed with KYTC for the upcoming resurfacing project). Traffic Signal Pedestrian Accommodations. It is recommended that the city evaluate the use of shorter cycle lengths or half cycles during off-peak periods of the day to reduce pedestrian wait times at signalized intersections. Pedestrian signal timing should also be reviewed to ensure minimum walk and flashing don t walk times are provided for crossing. It is recognized that all intersections on the corridor may not accommodate this strategy, but that others with heavy pedestrian activity such as those near Oxford Circle may benefit. In addition, walking tours of the corridor identified several pedestrian buttons that did not readily activate and place a pedestrian call. It is recommended that pedestrian pushbuttons be reviewed and repaired/replaced as necessary to ensure that calls are placed. (This issue has already been submitted and responded to by LFUCG Division of Traffic Engineering). Enhanced Pedestrian Crossings. In addition to the signal improvements above, it is recommended that enhanced crosswalk markings be placed at the signalized intersections as well. A continental striping pattern, similar to that used in downtown Lexington is recommended for the corridor. These markings have the ability to improve visibility and awareness of the pedestrian crossing location to both drivers and pedestrians. In addition to increasing awareness of active crossings, they may also serve to communicate to drivers that they are entering a more urban settings compared to the high-speed rural areas, west of the city. Pedestrian Crossing Refuge Islands. As noted the majority of pedestrian crossings are located at midblock locations between Hamilton Park and Red Mile Road where signal spacing is increased. Due to the high volume of traffic and wide crossing area in this section of the corridor pedestrian crossing may be hazardous. It is recommended that raised medians be placed to provide a form of pedestrian refuge within the existing TWLTL. A minimum length of feet is recommended for refuge islands to provide sufficient size so as to be readily visible to motorists. Islands should be placed where ) pedestrians are routinely present and/or cross and in areas where access points would not be disrupted or where control of access would be beneficial. Two locations have tentatively been identified for refuge islands. These are: Versailles Road Multimodal Evaluation US 6, Lexington, KY 6

24 . East of Heartsbrook Lane near the Ball-Quantrell Jones Recovery Center for Women (Figure ) and. Between Delmont Drive and Halls Lane where several businesses have wide undefined access drives (Figure 6). Figure. Proposed Refuge Island Ball-Quantrell Jones Recovery Center for Women Figure 6. Proposed Refuge Island Delmont Drive to Halls Lane While these locations have been chosen to cause minimal disruption to access and traffic flow they should be further evaluated by to determine the final design and location of a potential refuge island. Should it not be practical to install raised medians in the short term, flush medians marked with transverse marking may provide an interim improvement for pedestrians. Trash Pickup Practices. During walking tours and through submitted comments, it was identified that trash receptacles were placed on the sidewalk during pickup and blocked pedestrian access. It is recommended that receptacle placement and pickup procedures be modified to place trash receptacles on driveways or off of the sidewalk so as to not block the sidewalks. (This issue has already been submitted and responded to by LFUCG). Versailles Road Multimodal Evaluation US 6, Lexington, KY 7

25 Alternate Bicycle Route. The discussion in the next section identifies the potential to extend the bicycle lanes further east on the corridor from Mason Headley Road to Oxford Circle. However, east of Oxford Circle the roadway cross section is too narrow to support the inclusion of bicycle lanes or even the use of a shared lane. Therefore, it is recommended that an alternate bicycle route be identified AND improved to support cycling as a feasible transportation option through the corridor. A potential route is shown in Figure 7. This route would exit Versailles Road at Terrace View Drive and turn onto Hill View Place. From there new connections would need to be made to Heartsbrook Lane and the Addison Park trail system to Red Mile Road. This connection could serve to then access S. Limestone Street/Nicholasville Road including the University Kentucky and area hospitals. Transit. Improvements for transit ridership have not been directly addressed, but comments collected from the Travel Survey have been forwarded to LexTran and the Lexington Area MPO to investigate additional improvements that may be made in this area. Versailles Road Multimodal Evaluation US 6, Lexington, KY 8

26 Figure 7: Potential Alternate Bike Route Versailles Road Multimodal Evaluation US 6, Lexington, KY 9

27 IMPROVEMENTS BY SECTION Other specific improvement measures are presented below and discussed by section. Alexandria to Mason Headley Road Overall this section of the corridor is relatively well maintained and has wider sidewalks. The existing cross section of Versailles Road from Alexandria Drive to Mason Headley is 7 feet wide and provides for a center turn lane and foot bike lanes (Figure 8). This wide cross section is desirable and no changes are proposed. Figure 8: Existing/Proposed Cross Section (Alexandria Drive to Mason Headley Road) Bike Bike Total 7 Existing/Proposed Beyond corridor wide issues such as curb and sidewalk disrepair, the only specific issue noted on this section was a significant sinkhole directly adjacent to the sidewalk at a headwall. This drop-off is located directly east of the CVS pharmacy on the south side of the street. It is recommended that the sinkhole/undercutting be fixed by extending any drainage features and backfilling the hole. (See Picture) Versailles Road Multimodal Evaluation US 6, Lexington, KY

28 Mason Headley to Oxford Circle East of Mason Headley Road to Oxford Circle, Versailles Road narrows slightly from 7 feet to 68 feet. Currently, the roadway maintains a wide curb lane ( feet) and wide TWLTL ( feet). It is recommended that the traveled lanes and TWLTL be reduced to.- feet so that bike lanes can be implemented within this section. The bike lane should begin/terminate at the traffic signal at Oxford Circle and a sharrow be placed heading into the city. The existing and proposed cross section is shown in Figures 9 and below. Figure 9: Existing Cross Section Versailles Road (Mason Headley to Oxford Circle) Total 68 Existing Figure : Proposed Cross Section Versailles Road (Mason Headley to Oxford Circle) Bike Bike Total Proposed Other Issues.East of Mason Headley Road, an narrow median barrier consisting of bollards has been placed to prevenet vehicles from making left turns into and out of Oxford Circle as an acccess managmeent and safety improvement. It does provide the opportunity to turn left into Brandenburg Motors, which is located further away from the Mason Headley Intersection. However, it was noted by the business operators that adequate space is not given for vehicles to enter the TWLTL to access the business, leading to stoppage within the through lane. It should be noted that the placement of the median barrier was a highly desired item by area residents and was accomodated by KYTC and LFUCG. Versailles Road Multimodal Evaluation US 6, Lexington, KY

29 It is recommended that the median barrier be removed for approximately feet to allow vehicles to exit the traffic stream while entering Brandenburg Motors. Oxford Circle to Red Mile Road/Forbes This section of Versailles Road is significantly narrower (8 feet) than the previous section. Lanes are narrower, - feet, and there is no space available for bike lanes or other facilities (Figure ). In addition, all sidewalks in this area are narrow ( feet) and located directly at the back of curb. The narrow lanes on the roadway combined with the close and narrow sidewalk makes for an uncomfortable walking experience within this section of roadway. It is recommended that existing lane widths be narrowed to. feet to allow for a. foot buffer at the edge of the roadway between the travel way and sidewalk. It is noted that the cross-section may vary in this area and should the available width be reduced below 8 feet, that the lane width should held at. feet reducing the buffer zone in these limited instances. The proposed cross section is shown in Figure. The proposed cross section is anticipated to have effects; ) it will provide a buffer between pedestrians and vehicles and ) the narrower lanes will have a minor traffic calming effect reducing high speed traffic through the residential pedestrian area. Figure : Existing Cross Section Versailles Road (Oxford Circle to Red Mile Road) Total 8 Existing Figure : Proposed Cross Section Versailles Road (Oxford Circle to Red Mile Road) Shldr Shldr Total Proposed Delmont Drive to Red Mile Road. Through the commercial area between Delmont Drive and Red Mile Road several businesses have undefined access points and parking directly off of Versailles Road with no drive aisle separating parked and through traffic (See Picture). This lack of access control increases the likelihood of rear end and angle crashes as through traffic cannot discern where traffic will enter/exit adjacent businesses. Furthermore, this creates a hazard for pedestrians, as no differentiation is made between the travel way and sidewalk with the absence of curbing in the area. Versailles Road Multimodal Evaluation US 6, Lexington, KY

30 It is recommended that curb and sidewalks be reconstructed in this area with the objective of clearly defining business access points. In addition, a median refuge island is recommended, as discussed above, to assist in crossing maneuvers within this area. Versailles Road at Red Mile Road/Forbes Road. The traffic signal at Red Mile Road is a box span wire with poor visibility of signals and insufficient pedestrian accommodations. No sidewalks exist at the intersection and pedestrian push buttons are located - feet from the paved edge making them inaccessible to anyone in a wheel chair or with other disabilities (See Picture). Several foot paths are evident at the intersection. It is recommended that the intersection of Versailles Road at Red Mile road be reconstructed with appropriate ADA compliant pedestrian acocmodations. This includes ) sidewalks with ADA ramps, ) accessible pedestrian pushbuttons and ) pedestrian signal heads. Recently a Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) project has been identified and funded by KYTC to provide these improvements at the intersection. Versailles Road Multimodal Evaluation US 6, Lexington, KY

31 Forbes/Red Mile to Angliana Avenue The pavement width between Red Mile Road/Forbes Road and the eastern study area edge at Angliana Street is further narrowed to feet. This section has four foot lanes and no center turn lane. However, the south side of the street has a significant landscaped buffer between the travel way and sidewalk (Figure ). It appears that this section was narrowed in the past to provide this buffer as the drainage structures remain at the sidewalk as opposed to the edge of the street (See Picture). This buffer and the lower vehicles speeds in the area produced by the closer spaced traffic signals and narrower cross section make walking in the area a more comfortable experience. It is also noted that no pedestrian crashes were recorded in this section. In order to improve the section, a road diet (Figure ) was evaluated, as documented in the Alternative Analysis section, but was considered infeasible due to the high levels of congestions that would be generated at the intersection of Red Mile/Forbes Roads. Figure : Existing Cross Section Versailles Road (Red Mile Road to Angliana Avenue) Total Existing Figure: Evaluated (Not Recommended) Cross Section Versailles Road (Red Mile Road to Angliana Avenue) Bike Bike Total Evaluated/Not Recommended Versailles Road Multimodal Evaluation US 6, Lexington, KY

32 Other Issues. While the south side of the Versailles Road has well defined access points and a landscaped buffer between the sidewalk and roadway, the north side of the road does not achieve this. In several instances, parking lots and access points are ill defined and blend into the roadway with no discernible curb separating the sidewalk and travel way (See Picture). This lack of access control increases the likelihood of rear end and angle crashes as through traffic cannot discern where traffic will enter/exit adjacent businesses. Furthermore, this creates a hazard for pedestrians, as no differentiation is made between the travel way and sidewalk with the absence of curbing in the area. It is recommended that curb and sidewalks be reconstructed in this area with the objectives of clearly defining business access points and improving pedestrian delineation and protection. Versailles Road Multimodal Evaluation US 6, Lexington, KY

33 CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS This study evaluated alternatives that could potentially improve modal balance and inter-connectivity within the Versailles Road Corridor from Alexandria Drive to Oliver Lewis Way. This section of roadway is one of the heaviest pedestrian and transit ridership areas within Lexington, but has some of the least amount of resources for pedestrians and cyclists. A road diet alternative was examined for the narrower cross sections of roadway from Oxford Circle to Angliana Avenue, in an attempt to provide a bike lane and increase the buffer between traffic and pedestrians. However, capacity analysis of this alternative indicated that significant backups and congestion would occur further complicating the safety performance of the roadway and leading to driver delays and inconvenience. Therefore, other spot improvement measures were identified. These are summarized below, those improvements that may be incorporated into the upcoming resurfacing project are listed separately. Widen sidewalks where possible Traffic Signal Pedestrian Accommodations Trash Pickup Practices Raised Pedestrian Crossing Refuge Islands Implement Access Management in commercial areas to clearly delineate driveways and access points through the installation of curbing and sidewalk Reconstruct the intersection of Versailles Road at Red Mile Road/Forbes Road Evaluate an alternate off-street bicycle route Resurfacing Improvements Pavement Milling /Curb Reconstruction Comprehensive sidewalk repair and maintenance Inlet Repair Enhanced Crosswalks Add Bike Lanes from Mason Headley Road to Oxford Circle Narrow lanes from Oxford Circle to Red Mile Road to provide. foot buffer Long Term Measures. While the measures identified above can improve modal access within the corridor, more extensive measures are necessary. This study concentrated on short term solutions that would fit within the existing right of way, which only extends to foot beyond the back of the existing sidewalk. Moreover, options are significantly constrained due to adjacent topography and utility lines in the area. Therefore, a long term solution should be evaluated that involves modification of these limiting factors. Long term solutions should concentrate on improving walkability, bikeability and transit service since vehicular traffic is shown to operate at an acceptable level of service and traffic demand is steady on the corridor. Therefore, improvements to the cross section should look to add ) wider sidewalks, ) bike lanes and ) transit stops/pullouts. Versailles Road Multimodal Evaluation US 6, Lexington, KY 6

34 APPENDIX A Turn Movement Counts Versailles Road Multimodal Evaluation US 6, Lexington, KY

35 Lexington Fayette Urban County Government Division of Traffic Engineering East Vine Street, Suite Lexington, KY 7 Council District: Counter: Counted By: DBT Location: VERSAILLES ALEXANDRIA DR Start Time ALEXANDRIA DR Southbound : AM 7: AM 7: AM 7: AM Total : AM 8: AM 8: AM 8: AM Total Grand Total Apprch % Total % Autos % Autos Buses/Trucks % Buses/Trucks Bicycles % Bicycles File Name Site Code Start Date Page No Groups Printed- Autos - Buses/Trucks - Bicycles VERSAILLES RD ALEXANDRIA DR Westbound Northbound : Versailles Alexandria Dr 7-9 am - May : 69 : // : VERSAILLES RD Eastbound Int. Total

36 Lexington Fayette Urban County Government Division of Traffic Engineering East Vine Street, Suite Lexington, KY 7 Council District: Counter: Counted By: DBT Location: VERSAILLES ALEXANDRIA DR ALEXANDRIA DR Southbound Start Time File Name Site Code Start Date Page No VERSAILLES RD Westbound : Versailles Alexandria Dr 7-9 am - May : 69 : // : ALEXANDRIA DR Northbound 8 VERSAILLES RD Eastbound Peak Hour Analysis From 7: AM to 8: AM - Peak of Peak Hour for Each Approach Begins at: 7: AM + mins. + mins. + mins. + mins. Total Volume % PHF 7: AM : AM : AM Int. Total

37 Lexington Fayette Urban County Government Division of Traffic Engineering East Vine Street, Suite Lexington, KY 7 Council District: Counter: Counted By: DBT Location: VERSAILLES ALEXANDRIA DR Turn : PM : PM : PM : PM Total : PM : PM : PM : PM Total Grand Total Apprch % Total % Autos % Autos Buses/Trucks % Buses/Trucks Bicycles % Bicycles : Versailles Alexandria Dr -6 pm - May : 69 : /9/ : Turn Groups Printed- Autos - Buses/Trucks - Bicycles VERSAILLES RD ALEXANDRIA DR Westbound Northbound Turn Turn Turn ALEXANDRIA DR Southbound Turn Start Time File Name Site Code Start Date Page No VERSAILLES RD Eastbound Turn Turn Int. Total

38 Lexington Fayette Urban County Government Division of Traffic Engineering East Vine Street, Suite Lexington, KY 7 Council District: Counter: Counted By: DBT Location: VERSAILLES ALEXANDRIA DR ALEXANDRIA DR Southbound Start Time Turn Turn File Name Site Code Start Date Page No VERSAILLES RD Westbound Turn : Versailles Alexandria Dr -6 pm - May : 69 : /9/ : ALEXANDRIA DR Northbound Turn VERSAILLES RD Eastbound Turn Turn Turn Turn Peak Hour Analysis From : PM to : PM - Peak of Peak Hour for Each Approach Begins at: : PM + mins. + mins. + mins. + mins. Total Volume % PHF : PM : PM : PM Int. Total

39 Lexington Fayette Urban County Government Division of Traffic Engineering East Vine Street, Suite Lexington, KY 7 Council District: Counter: Counted By: DBT Location: VERSAILLES RD@MASON HEADLEY RD File Name Site Code Start Date Page No : Versailles Mason Headley Rd 7-9 am - May : 7 : /7/ : Groups Printed- Autos - Buses/Trucks - Bicycles Start Time 7: AM 7: AM 7: AM 7: AM Total HILLCREST MEMORIAL PARK ENTRANCE/EXIT Southbound VERSAILLES RD Westbound MASON HEADLEY RD Northbound VERSAILLES RD Eastbound Int. Total : AM 8: AM 8: AM 8: AM Total Grand Total Apprch % Total % Autos % Autos Buses/Trucks % Buses/Trucks Bicycles % Bicycles

40 Lexington Fayette Urban County Government Division of Traffic Engineering East Vine Street, Suite Lexington, KY 7 Council District: Counter: Counted By: DBT Location: VERSAILLES RD@MASON HEADLEY RD HILLCREST MEMORIAL PARK ENTRANCE/EXIT Southbound Start Time File Name Site Code Start Date Page No VERSAILLES RD Westbound : Versailles Mason Headley Rd 7-9 am - May : 7 : /7/ : MASON HEADLEY RD Northbound VERSAILLES RD Eastbound Peak Hour Analysis From 7: AM to 8: AM - Peak of Peak Hour for Each Approach Begins at: 7: AM + mins. + mins. + mins. + mins. Total Volume % PHF. 7: AM : AM : AM Int. Total

41 Lexington Fayette Urban County Government Division of Traffic Engineering East Vine Street, Suite Lexington, KY 7 Council District: Counter: Counted By: DBT Location: VERSAILLES RD@MASON HEADLEY RD File Name Site Code Start Date Page No : Versailles Mason Headley Rd -6 pm - May : 7 : // : Groups Printed- Autos - Buses/Trucks - Bicycles Start Time : PM : PM : PM : PM Total HILLCREST MEMORIAL PARK ENTRANCE/EXIT Southbound Turn Turn 9 VERSAILLES RD Westbound MASON HEADLEY RD Northbound VERSAILLES RD Eastbound Turn Turn Turn Int. Total Turn Turn Turn : PM : PM : PM : PM Total Grand Total Apprch % Total % Autos % Autos Buses/Trucks % Buses/Trucks Bicycles % Bicycles

42 Lexington Fayette Urban County Government Division of Traffic Engineering East Vine Street, Suite Lexington, KY 7 Council District: Counter: Counted By: DBT Location: VERSAILLES RD@MASON HEADLEY RD HILLCREST MEMORIAL PARK ENTRANCE/EXIT Southbound Start Time Turn Turn File Name Site Code Start Date Page No VERSAILLES RD Westbound Turn : Versailles Mason Headley Rd -6 pm - May : 7 : // : MASON HEADLEY RD Northbound Turn VERSAILLES RD Eastbound Turn Turn Turn Turn Peak Hour Analysis From : PM to : PM - Peak of Peak Hour for Each Approach Begins at: : PM + mins. + mins. + mins. + mins. Total Volume % PHF : PM : PM : PM Int. Total

43 Lexington Fayette Urban County Government Division of Traffic Engineering East Vine Street, Suite Lexington, KY 7 Council District: Counter: Counted By: DBT Location: VERSAILLES OXFORD CIRCLE Start Time OXFORD CIRCLE Southbound : AM 7: AM 7: AM 7: AM Total 6 8: AM 8: AM 8: AM 8: AM Total Grand Total Apprch % Total % Autos % Autos Buses/Trucks % Buses/Trucks Bicycles % Bicycles File Name Site Code Start Date Page No Groups Printed- Autos - Buses/Trucks - Bicycles VERSAILLES RD CHURCH ENTRANCE Westbound Northbound : Versailles Oxford Circle 7-9 am - May : 7 : // : VERSAILLES RD Eastbound Int. Total

44 Lexington Fayette Urban County Government Division of Traffic Engineering East Vine Street, Suite Lexington, KY 7 Council District: Counter: Counted By: DBT Location: VERSAILLES OXFORD CIRCLE OXFORD CIRCLE Southbound Start Time File Name Site Code Start Date Page No VERSAILLES RD Westbound : Versailles Oxford Circle 7-9 am - May : 7 : // : CHURCH ENTRANCE Northbound VERSAILLES RD Eastbound Peak Hour Analysis From 7: AM to 8: AM - Peak of Peak Hour for Each Approach Begins at: 7: AM + mins. + mins. + mins. + mins. Total Volume % PHF : AM : AM : AM Int. Total

45 Lexington Fayette Urban County Government Division of Traffic Engineering East Vine Street, Suite Lexington, KY 7 Council District: Counter: Counted By: DBT Location: VERSAILLES OXFORD CIRCLE Start Time OXFORD CIRCLE Southbound : PM : PM : PM : PM Total : PM : PM : PM : PM Total Grand Total Apprch % Total % Autos % Autos Buses/Trucks % Buses/Trucks Bicycles % Bicycles File Name Site Code Start Date Page No Groups Printed- Autos - Buses/Trucks - Bicycles VERSAILLES RD CHURCH ENTRANCE Westbound Northbound : Versailles Oxford Circle -6 pm - May : 7 : // : VERSAILLES RD Eastbound Int. Total

46 Lexington Fayette Urban County Government Division of Traffic Engineering East Vine Street, Suite Lexington, KY 7 Council District: Counter: Counted By: DBT Location: VERSAILLES OXFORD CIRCLE OXFORD CIRCLE Southbound Start Time File Name Site Code Start Date Page No VERSAILLES RD Westbound : Versailles Oxford Circle -6 pm - May : 7 : // : CHURCH ENTRANCE Northbound VERSAILLES RD Eastbound Peak Hour Analysis From : PM to : PM - Peak of Peak Hour for Each Approach Begins at: : PM + mins. + mins. + mins. + mins. Total Volume % PHF : PM : PM : PM Int. Total

47 Lexington Fayette Urban County Government Division of Traffic Engineering East Vine Street, Suite Lexington, KY 7 Council District: Counter: Counted By: DBT Location: VERSAILLES RED MILE RD Start Time S FORBES RD Southbound : AM 7: AM 7: AM 7: AM Total : AM 8: AM 8: AM 8: AM Total Grand Total Apprch % Total % Autos % Autos Buses/Trucks % Buses/Trucks Bicycles % Bicycles File Name Site Code Start Date Page No Groups Printed- Autos - Buses/Trucks - Bicycles VERSAILLES RD RED MILE RD Westbound Northbound : Versailles Red Mile Rd 7-9 am - May : 7 : // : VERSAILLES RD Eastbound Int. Total

48 Lexington Fayette Urban County Government Division of Traffic Engineering East Vine Street, Suite Lexington, KY 7 Council District: Counter: Counted By: DBT Location: VERSAILLES RED MILE RD File Name Site Code Start Date Page No S FORBES RD Southbound Start Time VERSAILLES RD Westbound : Versailles Red Mile Rd 7-9 am - May : 7 : // : RED MILE RD Northbound VERSAILLES RD Eastbound 9 Peak Hour Analysis From 7: AM to 8: AM - Peak of Peak Hour for Each Approach Begins at: 7: AM + mins. + mins. + mins. + mins. Total Volume % PHF : AM : AM 7: AM Int. Total

49 Lexington Fayette Urban County Government Division of Traffic Engineering East Vine Street, Suite Lexington, KY 7 Council District: Counter: Counted By: DBT Location: VERSAILLES RED MILE RD Start Time S FORBES RD Southbound : PM : PM : PM : PM Total : PM : PM : PM : PM Total Grand Total Apprch % Total % Autos % Autos Buses/Trucks % Buses/Trucks Bicycles % Bicycles File Name Site Code Start Date Page No Groups Printed- Autos - Buses/Trucks - Bicycles VERSAILLES RD RED MILE RD Westbound Northbound : Versailles Red Mile Rd -6 pm - May : 7 : // : VERSAILLES RD Eastbound Int. Total

50 Lexington Fayette Urban County Government Division of Traffic Engineering East Vine Street, Suite Lexington, KY 7 Council District: Counter: Counted By: DBT Location: VERSAILLES RED MILE RD File Name Site Code Start Date Page No S FORBES RD Southbound Start Time VERSAILLES RD Westbound : Versailles Red Mile Rd -6 pm - May : 7 : // : RED MILE RD Northbound VERSAILLES RD Eastbound Peak Hour Analysis From : PM to : PM - Peak of Peak Hour for Each Approach Begins at: : PM + mins. + mins. + mins. + mins. Total Volume % PHF : PM : PM : PM Int. Total